


Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures

by daintylemonsquare



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 19:29:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4150041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daintylemonsquare/pseuds/daintylemonsquare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Radio intern Will Solace is reporting the Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures while Radio Host Cecil Palmer is on vacation. His boyfriend, Nico di Angelo, is leading the Hooded Figures to the Night Vale stadium. Plus, Will's take on his favorite segment "Children's Fun Fact Science Corner" and a look at traffic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is Joseph Fink creator of Welcome to Night Vale. I’m sure of this. I’m definitely Joseph Fink and not a Filipino boy in the Philippines writing fanfiction that will not follow continuity after episode 66. This is not that boy. I am Joseph Fink for sure, writing this piece with Will Solace and Nico di Angelo, both of whom I own. Not Rick Rordan. Rordian? Riorden? Something like that. Someone like that. Someone like you, dear listener. We’re touring the south side of America right now, as in right at this moment of time that you are consuming these words. This is the biggest tour you can possibly imagine. Bigger than your imagination. Bigger than all of us even! Tickets are still on sale for the following states: Anxiety, Depression, Mania, Panic, Texas, Florida, New York, Amsterdam, Amsterdamn, Infatuation, Constipation, Distress, Numbness. Go to welcometonightvale.com and click on schedule to buy tickets. Get them now because venues are getting sold out left and right, up and down, diagonally, perpendicularly! And, most exciting of all of the things, it’s the best year ever, guys, the Welcome to Night Vale novel hit so many top lists of so many websites that sell books even before it has been released! Yes, go pre-order this book coming to stores this fall. The audio book is also coming this fall. Which one should you get? Both would be amazing. Both. Two is better than one! Fall of what, you might ask? Just…the fall. And hey… Thanks.

You think life is hard? Try dying, now that’s hard!

Welcome to Night Vale!

* * *

Hello, listeners. Yes, Intern Will Solace here, standing – or should I say – _sitting in_ for Cecil Palmer while he’s out on that vacation with his boyfriend in the place we’re not allowed to talk about unless you want to be taken away to someplace no one will see you ever again. I want to say thank you for accepting me as _temporary_ radio host of Night Vale Community Radio without forming a mob outside of my family’s home with flaming pitchforks and irate yelling or warding me off with charms and hexes the same way we do with any intruder planning on stealing something imperative to our everyday survival that without it, we would surely, _surely_ die. Thank you so much for that! I promise that I will not take over for good because Cecil assured me he’s coming back and…well _gosh_ , I don’t think I’m ready to go full-time! Don’t get me wrong, the station has really been taking precautions this time with their interns since we all know there’s a high…um… turnover rate and they’ve given us more benefits like the use of the coffee hammer of hateful thoughts and they let us pet Kohshehk and his kittens within reason _and_ they let us eat lunch with the rest of the staff. That’s right, listeners! Night Vale Radio interns don’t have to hunt for our food anymore! You’d think being vegetarian would be easier but those fruits and veggies run faster than any animal I’ve ever seen run! Even faster than a human running away from their problems! 

That being said, I’m still a student of Night Vale College of Medicine, getting my doctorate and dabbling in _some_ Greek Philosophy and archery magic now that two of my classes, pharmacology 303 and virology 302, have been deemed illegal by the government and took my professors away. I _like_ my job here at the radio station but I want to become a doctor to help people who are hurt. To ease their pain. To make them feel better when they’re sick. To save them from death’s merciless clutches. To help them breathe a little better in this society’s suffocating standards of what constitutes an illness.

Like my father always said, “I’m Apollo! God of music, truth and prophecy, healing, the sun and light, plague, poetry, and _you_ silly mortals!” And you know what, it really stuck with me. I miss him a lot. He hasn’t been replying to _any_ of my texts but, I mean, _dads_ right?

Anyway, I’ve spoken enough about myself, indicated by the man standing in front of the studio window pointing a gun at me and shaking his head slowly, mouthing “stop this” a few times as he turns off the safety. It’s time for me to bring you the news, listeners!

And what interesting news we have today! It’s that time of the year again! That terrific, awful, heart-clenching, soul-crushing time of the year for the Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures from the Forbidden Dog Park – which will no longer be mentioned henceforth because that’s illegal – to the Night Vale Stadium where the parade will _officially_ begin! Time to turn on all of the lights in your home. Don’t forget to burn that orange, ceremonial, boot-shaped candle beside all of the plants in your home to ward off all evil thoughts. Make sure all of the members of your family, dead _and_ alive, is huddled in your home’s center. Remember, any deviation from the center, even the teeny-tiniest centimeter will result in certain death. Wait…what?

 _Oh_ , sorry listeners, my bad. Not certain death, there was a smudge and I got into it. Any deviation from the center will result in certain _scolding_ from the sheriff himself. I was confused for a second there.

Leading the procession is the only being able to command and _speak_ to the Mysterious Hooded Figures, the menacing, deadly, grumpy little sweetheart with a secret soft spot for radio interns named Nico di Angelo, who is standing in front of the deep obsidian gates of the… [away from microphone] What? I’m allowed to say it? Really? Are you sure? _Are you sure?_ Okay. You better be. I’ve got a degree to finish. [Back to microphone] He is standing in front of the Forbidden Dog Park’s gates, his black sword aloft, his black hair sticking out from under his gray hood, which is the only thing that isn’t black at the moment. The gates open and the Hooded Figures move, en masse, out of the Dog Park. Heavy, steel gray clouds swallow the sunlight and the whole city is plunged into darkness. Lights flicker all over town as citizens huddle with their families. A hush falls throughout Night Vale as the Hooded Figures speak amongst themselves in an ancient language no one is allowed to study or translate.

Nico waits until all of the Hooded Figures have passed him by and closes the gates with an ominous crashing sound, like large waves hitting a rocky cliff, like a car swerving into a tree, like two points of space-time meeting. Then he slides off his hood and starts following the Hooded Figures across town, making sure none of them leave prematurely. In an event than a Hooded Figure strays from the group, pray that they will not enter your home, even though praying will not get you anywhere…

 _Buuut_ I doubt that’ll happen, listeners. Nico di Angelo has been shepherding the Hooded Figures for…actually I don’t know for _how long_ but I’m sure he’s been doing it for a while. While it’s true that he and I are an item for some time now, after he saved me from being taken into one of the many dark caves in the desert by people I can’t remember for some nefarious reason, and we have discussed the pros of open communication in a relationship, he is not quite forthcoming with what he does and how he does it. I didn’t push it because it causes us both excruciating pain whenever we talk about it. It’s not like we can’t talk about other things. Nico di Angelo isn’t particularly loquacious but he can hold a conversation. We watch a lot of the same movies and read a considerable amount of similar books. The approved ones! We talk about class, he’s majoring in Greek Philosophy and Danger Physics, minoring in Sword Fighting. We have dates at the Arby’s, staring at the lights above it and tossing silly theories of what they really are and what causes them. And when we are subsequently stopped by the Secret Police, and after Nico and I escape them, laughing and laughing – gosh, he has the best laugh – I often tease that we’re like Cecil and Carlos but he scoffs and wrinkles his nose and says we’re better than them. I wouldn’t go as far to say that but Cecil and Carlos are not the first couple to enjoy sitting closely to one another as they stare at the lights.

I’ve barely had time to be with him these days since he’s been busy preparing for the Parade but at least I’ll get to be with him with minimal interruptions once this blows over. He promised he’ll be home for dinner tonight though.

The lights in the station have dimmed and the shadows have shifted to impossible directions, some towards the light and some around the light. A chill has pierced the air, numbing my fingers and fogging my breath. I can feel a grip on both of my shoulders, my chest tightening, and a voice whispering my last name in a soft but clearly irritated tone. The shadows underneath the table have consumed my legs and I can feel scratching against my jeans. Even in the cold, I feel something warm touch my neck… That’s Nico’s way of telling me that I’m talking about him too much on the radio. [Chuckles]. I just miss you, dummy, I can’t help it.

Nevertheless, I shall continue. Also, the slight darkness of the station has started giving some of the staff evil thoughts. Tyler Simpson from finance has just attacked Daisuke Koike and they are now engaging in hand-to-hand combat so… moving on to my _favorite_ segment of this program, the Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner!

Since it _is_ time for the Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about darkness. Darkness is nothing to be feared of, kids! Trust me, I’m dating someone who is one of my favorite personifications of shadow-y terror so know that I’ve not only done my research but experienced this first hand. Anyway, you should not shy away from the embrace of darkness. Do not distrust the mysteries it holds. Those mysteries will leave you alone if you leave them alone and not ponder them all through the night as you stare at that suspiciously active corner of your darkened room. However, I do understand that darkness does pique a person’s curiosity, especially in cute little kids like you, so explore those questions within reason and within your own mind.

I acknowledge people’s hesitation to reciprocate the cool, encompassing embrace of darkness in the night. Its silence is unnerving. Its touch is disquieting. You cannot escape it. You’re afraid to move from the supposed safety of your bed to turn on the light because darkness as you in its grasp. Just give it a chance, kids. There is nothing wrong with fear. Bravery is borne out of fear and what a gratifying feeling it is to conquer that debilitating emotion!

Deep breaths now. Clear your mind. Ease into it. Darkness has never hurt you purposefully. Accidentally, maybe. To be honest, you should not be walking blindly to the kitchen for a midnight snack barefooted. That’s just asking for a stubbed toe.

Wrap your arms around the darkness, trust it not to hurt you and it will trust you to do the same. Find… [soft chuckle] solace in darkness for it has seen your tears at night; it has seen the myriad of open books colored in by a variety of highlighters strewn around your room at odd hours of the night; it has provided its comforting presence following a nightmare. Find the warmth in its coolness. It’s there somewhere, just reach for it with your fingers…your lips.

Listen. Darkness has a voice and you can elicit it with your own. Don’t hesitate to ask, don’t hesitate to speak, don’t hesitate to talk about your day, don’t be afraid to say what’s on your mind. Darkness will always listen and will always have an insightful response for those hard to answer musings.

Darkness doesn’t mind when you lose control. In fact, the darkness seems to encourage it, even enjoy it. When you’re deep in the darkness, you almost lose yourself, knowing only what darkness feels around you, beholding you with its dark eyes, its tightening hold, the light grazes it inflicts on your skin when you explode deeper and deeper.

Once you’re too tired to even move, darkness will stay, the embrace softening but not disappearing…

Children, know that darkness is a constant. Even in the light there is darkness. Out there in the void. Down here from underneath large structures to the small nooks where you like to sip coffee and look at the neighbor’s beautiful garden. There is comfort there, my young listeners. When you attain that comfort with darkness, the rest will follow… This has been Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner! [Wistful sigh] I wish Cecil did this more often. Enriching the minds of children early on will make them smarter and less likely to question, and subsequently rebel against, government mandated curriculums.

And now, sponsors. Today’s broadcast has been sponsored by… [deep, irritated sigh] Dark Owl Records. [Muttered] Honestly if they weren’t the only way I could get music in this city, I wouldn’t buy _anything_ from Michelle Nguyen but ever since that incident ten years ago… [Groans] Anyway, Michelle has sent the station a CD of this new talent she _allegedly_ discovered by projecting her thoughts and wishful thinking as loud as she could without straining her voice, even though _everyone_ knows that you can only discover talent through forbidden sacrificial means.

“Forbidden is _so overrated_.” Michelle said like the pretentious _bit – beeeeing_ that she is. “My abilities transcend those of you who listen to all of that dumb music I’m _forced_ to sell you or else we’ll ‘go out of business’ or something.” She added with bored air-quotes and an eye roll. [Annoyed huff]

In my hand right now is the _only_ known copy of Valentine Velez’s debut album “What You Know You Didn’t”. A copy I am determined _not_ to crush because of the ramifications of such an act, _not_ because I care about what Michelle thinks. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, listeners. I could go on and on about how condescending, self-important, and _rude_ she is but I won’t because I have social etiquette. Also, I can hear station management becoming upset as I deviate from the meat of this segment so I’ll just have to save my rants to when we’re face to face, _Michelle_.

“What You Know You Didn’t” has been described as intoxicating and enthralling and that it elicits a state of oneness with the known universe. It boasts an ability to make you resonate fully with the universe through steady guitar riffs and Valentine’s beguiling baritone. The cover itself is black, like the void, and emits a very distinct light that is outside of most people’s vision but I can see it. Ultraviolet light pulses with every word I release, searing my skin in the subtlest of ways. Behind it is the track list in bold, blocky text. Instead of titles, it just has numbers in Double Spanish. Michelle has chosen a track for us to play, [irritated] _obviously_. [Grumbles] She _aaaalways_ has to have a say in _everything_.

I’m putting the CD into the player and I’m –

 

[Silence]

 

Woah. That was just… _woah_. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that since… well since… Nico and I first… We… _Woah_. Did you feel that too, listeners? Did you feel that…that _wondrous_ connection. I could feel everything. Every inhale of this _spectacular_ song brought me closer to the stars. Every note played affected the vibrations of my whole being, matching it with that of the celestial bodies that fill this expanding universe. I… I… _hate_ that I’m saying this but _thank you_ , Michelle… _Thank you._

Update on the Parade of the Mysterious Hooded Figures. First, I would like to offer the following correction.

Earlier, I said that there was a smudge when I reported that any divergence from your home’s center would result to a harsh scolding from the sheriff. I want to formally apologize for this mistake. You _will_ meet your certain death when you are outside your home’s center. Sorry for the confusion, listeners. This is so embarrassing and I promise it will never happen again!

With that in mind, it’s important, now more than ever, to stay huddled in the center of your home! I’m getting reports of a few of the Hooded Figures leaving the crowd and weaving through city blocks and various neighborhoods. Hooded Figures are entering homes and those homes lose power, they lose any semblance of power. Of life. The screams of the occupants are ringing loud and clear for approximately three seconds before they are cut off, ending with a wet gargle and a sharp intake of breath. A rush of wind or telekinetic force close the doors and windows of those houses and the silence that follows is not the kind of silence you want to hear.

Listeners, you will want to lock your doors but _do not leave your home’s centers_! Stay within those boundaries! I don’t know why they’re doing this. It’s never happened before! Nico has always, _always_ kept them in check. The Hooded Figures _listen_ to him. Why are they stopping now?

I’ve texted Nico about this. I hope he’s okay. Nico, I know you can hear me. Please, _please_ be safe. I know you’ve been doing this long but _be cautious_ , sweetheart, if not for you then for m –

Nico’s replied! [Calming breath then a sigh] It reads: Everything’s fine, Sunshine. I got this. Just tell everyone to stay put and stay still. The Hooded Figures have been restless lately ever since Cecil left Night Vale but I didn’t think they would act on this restlessness. But don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Trust me.

I want to trust, Nico. I want to, I really, honestly, begrudgingly do but… That’s what he always says and he’s always fine in the end, some injuries here and there but nothing I can’t patch up as easily as my teachers. Nico never knows when to ask for help when he needs it. He _has_ to do all the work even when there are people who are willing to help him, take the load off. He isn’t obligated to exert _so much_. It’s like he has to constantly prove himself but that doesn’t matter to me. He’s proven himself capable and brave and noble and kind. He just doesn’t know when to take a break.

The lights are flickering again and to keep from having another fight about this and to keep the radio from becoming a target for Hooded Figures, I’ll have to accept it.

There’s another text: Solace. I have this under control. This is my job. I have to do it. I’m not trying to prove anything. I don’t want to fight either.

Just come home in one piece and corporeal, di Angelo. You promised.

More on this later. Right now, let’s take a look at traffic.

Something’s in the way.

Something’s always in the way, right?

There are a variety of limitations in this life we live in. Other beings. Natural events. The decisions of others impeding our decisions. Our decisions, our wishes, not ending the way we desired. There are limits imposed by our physical form, the way it’s weakened by other, tinier organisms, and its inability to transcend beyond what is linear. The limits of our minds, its biases, its susceptibility to confusion, to suggestion, its inability to grasp the answers to life’s questions. Who are we? What is out there? _Who_ is out there? What waits when we die? When did the universe begin? Where did it begin? What makes us, us? There are limits because of morality and everyone’s differing notions of what is moral and immoral, as well as the debate of the existence of a universal moral good. Even life itself has a limitation, which is the impending, at the same time, unknowable end. There are limits everywhere we go, whoever we are. There are limits. We can’t escape them. We can’t destroy them. We can try and we will think we have all of the answers but who will confirm those answers? Ourselves? A higher power? We can tackle these limitations, beat them mercilessly with logic and the collective thinking of the greatest minds. Unfortunately, these limitations, these profound questions that has plagued us all from the moment our brains evolved to what they are now, manage to bring themselves back to life and we are left staring into space, forming a new plan of attack that we will believe is the one that will break down all of the barriers. To what extent should we force these battles when we know that fighting is futile? When should we throw down our weapons, leave our posts and simply _live_? What drives us to want to keep on fighting, to keep on running from our limits?

I don’t know… I don’t know.

All I know is that with every obstacle overcome, every puzzle solved, every road paved, there will a new challenge waiting. A new hurdle, a scattered puzzle, an unpaved road. It’s an eternal quest. An infinite blank space. It’s easier then it’s harder.

There’s always something in the way.

This has been… traffic.

Listeners… [Shuddery breath] Listeners, the Hooded Figures’ behavior have escalated. Not only have they all broken rank and have scattered throughout the city but they… I’m getting reports that… They’re attacking Nico. They are fighting back against the one who has – _had_ control over them. Nico has been seen running with a tattered robe, sword deflecting whatever mode of attack the Hooded Figures have whether its reaching out with their long, dark tendrils or with their psionic powers or just pulling him into the endless abyss of their hoods.

He is winded. Going against this many Hooded Figures have taken its toll and he is flickering, losing his form, his hold on this reality loosening. While most are still trying to force families to leave their home’s centers, more and more are converging on Nico, finding a way to corner him and possibly get rid of him indefinitely… forever. The sky has turned into a deeper gray, thunder is causing this desk to rumble underneath my trembling fingers and…

[Whispers coming from all around]

What was that? Nico? I heard a whisper. No, not a whisper, a _whimper_. Nico… I can’t stay here. I just can’t! No! you’re not allowed to say goodbye! Not like this! Not when I haven’t seen you properly in the weeks leading to this dreadful day! You promised we’re having a dinner tonight! I’m coming for you Nico and I’m coming to help. I don’t know how. I don’t know if I’ll survive. But I will try. For you, I willdo everything in my power to be by your side right at this moment. There’s nothing you can do to stop me!

Listeners, I’m probably going to get fired from this temporary host job but screw that! I have to save my boyfriend!

[Hurried footsteps, a door opening, more hurried footsteps back to the mic] Almost forgot but here’s the weather! [Hurried footsteps]

 

(This is where the weather goes)

 

Listeners, we survived! At least, I think we survived. This can all be just what the afterlife looks like, an idealized reality that is the complete inverse of the tragedy of what had really happened. Nico assures me that if we were dead, he’d know about it. By the way, Nico is _in the studio_ with me right now! He’s standing in the corner of the studio where all of the shadows are congregating, whether it’s because of him or because of this day, I’m not sure. But he’s here! And we’re alive! Nothing else matters. I mean, aside from what transpired during the weather which I will get to later. Spoiler alert: a _lot_ transpired. Nico, babe, say hi!

 [Echoey hissing sounds]

Oh he’s being shy. [Laughs] Anyway, here’s what happened after I left you to the weather, Night Vale.

I ran out of the studio doors, despite Station Management’s vehement and terrifying protests. Although every single fiber of my being began to burn with each step I took away from the station and I wanted to turn around and beg for forgiveness, I wanted to be by Nico’s side more. Besides, I thought I was going to die anyway, so, what the hell, right?

 The streets were empty and quiet. From time to time, I would hear the soul-chilling sound of a Hooded Figure attacking a family who had left the center of their homes. To those of you unable to hear the sickening, shrill shrieks of agony that came from those homes, as well as the horrendous, wet silence that followed afterwards, know that you are very fortunate. Silence is forever ruined for me.

I followed the reports to Nico’s whereabouts, the darkest area of Night Vale, which was a block away from the radio station. There, I saw a dome of darkness where more and more bloodied and insatiable Hooded Figures hovered into. As I neared the dome, I feel the vibrations of the static-like sounds the Figures make when they communicate. They were communicating a lot, possibly finding a way to take Nico down.

I had no way of telling if Nico was alive but I just knew, _I knew_ , that he was alive in there so I called his name. I yelled at the dome, over the static. I yelled until it hurt. When I began crying, I heard Nico’s voice in my head. He tried to reassure me that it was alright. He tried to convince me to leave him. But I could not. I would not. I didn’t want to give up and there was nothing he could say to stop me.

Then, a Hooded Figure began approaching me. My first instinct was to run the opposite direction but when I turned around, another Hooded Figure was there, reaching out for me with a dark, gnarled, and blood-soaked hand. There were a multitude of directions I could’ve taken but I was surrounded. One direction was left and that was into the dark dome, so I dove right in.

Let me tell you, listeners, inside that dome was a kind of darkness that I have never encountered. It was deeper than being unable to see your hand in front of your face. It felt like I was in the void itself, only able to breathe despite being unable to attend the “So the Wormhole You Created Sent You to the Void” seminar at my school last semester. I was unsure if I was moving forward or if I was moving at all. I was unsure of whether or not I was still among the living. That could’ve been what death was like, listeners. An infinite of cold darkness coupled with a muffled, monotonous hum. Nevertheless, I called again for Nico and I was so happy to hear him reply, even if he sounded weak.

I began moving to the direction of his voice when suddenly I was held back. One hand then two. Then something lifted me up and held my legs. Something sharp dragged itself along my jaw. Then another sharp tip pressed against my carotid artery. Nico was still shouting, hoping I’d reply but I couldn’t, not unless I want a punctured artery. His voice grew frantic every time he received silence. I began to panic too. There was no way for me to escape and no way for me to tell him I loved him one last time.

Nico roared in frustration and I felt a shift in the energy within the dome. The forces that held me dispersed and I fell onto the ground with nothing more than a bruise on my butt. For a second, I could see the asphalt and the tips of my fingers. I looked up and I saw Nico kneeling with his sword propping him up. I said his name and just as he was about to react, as he was about to raise his head so our eyes could meet for what could possibly be the last time, a Hooded Figure blocked him from my view. When I heard Nico whimper, I lost it. How dare that Hooded Figure take that moment away from me! How dare every Hooded Figure that decided to take every future moments we could have had with each other!

Before darkness took away my vision, I ran to Nico, prepared to push the Hooded Figure away no matter the consequence. But something…miraculous happened. There is no other word for it, listeners. The light that radiated from my palm and struck the Hooded Figure was nothing short of the word.

As the Hooded Figure melted into a puddle, Nico fell on the small patch of brightness that pierced the black. When I had him in my arms after what seemed like an eternity, I began crying tears of relief and happiness. He was okay. I could still hold him. He was cold but he was always a little cold.

I cupped his cheek and his eyes fluttered open. He asked me what happened but my response was interrupted by a several Hooded Figures circling our tiny area of light, tendrils of darkness coming from underneath all of them, snuffing out the light. Nico tried to push himself up but I pressed my hand on his chest and leaned down to kiss him softly. In the middle of the kiss, he asked what I was doing and if I was insane. I told him to lay back down. He’s done enough.

He looked at me, perplexed, but all the questions were addressed the moment a dark tendril wrapped itself around his wrist and I blasted it away with a stream of light. Well, in hindsight, my sudden ability to generate light might’ve elicited more questions than there were answers. However, in that moment, no questions mattered. No Hooded Figure could touch us or reach us. I had begun to glow from every appendage, every pore, every strand of hair. The Hooded Figures began to retreat, screeching sharp, discordant notes as one by one they left. My light shone brighter and brighter as the exhilaration of fending off the Hooded Figure escalated with every retreat.

There was a small group of paralyzed Hooded Figures caught in my light. It was bright enough that I could almost make out the features underneath their hoods but Nico made me look down, telling me that there was no going back if I caught even a glimpse of their faces. So I settled on staring at him. I told him I loved him and he echoed it in Italian. As the last syllable left his lips, my light became blinding. Nico scrunched his eyes but I was not the least bit affected.

The grating screams of the trapped Hooded Figures reached a high note then was cut off. When I sensed that there was no nearby danger, my light began to dim until we were left under the cloudy light, surrounded by shadow puddles, remnants of the Hooded Figures that couldn’t escape me.

I held Nico against my chest and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. More words were exchanged. More kisses. Relieved laughter. We stayed there until Nico reminded me that I still had a show to attend to.

That’s where you come in, listeners!

You may be asking: what happens now? Will the parade still continue? How are you still alive if you angered Station Management? Is it safe to move from the centers of our homes?

Nico has told me that the Hooded Figures have hidden themselves in the Forbidden Dog Park and because of the injuries I inflicted on them with my light, they will not be finishing the day’s ceremonies. It is safe to move, listeners! You’re safe from the Hooded Figures. Your safety against everything else – to be determined. Finally, Station Management _tried_ to attack me upon entering the doors but my light began to shine and they recoiled, rushing back into their office.

I guess now’s my chance to ask if I could get a raise. Whatever a raise is. I don’t actually know. But if nothing else, at least I’d know what a “raise” entails. It sounds like fun!

Looks like we’ve reached the end of our broadcast again, listeners. So much has happened since the beginning of this show and it’s only really been half an hour or so. Lives lost. Lives _saved_. New discoveries. Strengthened bonds between families, friends, loved ones, and colleagues. A new hour is approaching and who knows what will happen then? Time is a construct we cannot fully comprehend and we cannot fully grasp. There are so many possibilities on the horizon that we must seize the moments we are given now because we will never again experience them and we are not sure when death comes for any of us. Tell those people you care about what you feel. Don’t be afraid to express your emotions. Life is too limited and uncertain to waste the smallest of moments. Remind them of their significance to you as an individual because while it’s true that they don’t matter in this infinite and expanding universe, they are part of your tiny universe. They play an integral part of your life and they deserve to know it.

Stay tuned next for the premiere of our brand new show “Silent Crying in the Corner of Your Home”.  As always, it has been a pleasure being the temporary voice of this show.

Nighty night, Night Vale! Nighty night.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Night Vale is a production of Commonplace Books. It is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor and produced, this time, by the power of fanfiction. The voice of Will Solace is (COMING SOON TO A YOUTUBE CHANNEL NEAR YOU I SWEAR I'M WORKING ON IT). Original music by this website that gives away royalty free music which is pretty cool of them and we’re all very happy they exist. All of that can be found at {the website in which the music is from}. This episode’s weather was “Tadhana” by Up Dharma Down. Find out more at updharmadown.com. Comments? Questions? I’d give you our e-mail address but oh look, there’s a comment section right there at the bottom of this page. Do I need to draw a map for you? Hopefully not. I’m tired. Check out rickriordan.com for more information about the canon universe Nico and Will are part of and welcometonightvale.com for more information on the background of this fic as well as all sorts of cool Night Vale stuff you can own. And while you’re there, consider clicking the donate link. That’d be cool of you. 
> 
> Today’s bullshit: If you wanna be my lover, you gotta file your application before the deadline next week. Leave your resumes on my secretary’s desk and we will schedule an interview as soon as you pass a rigorous screening process. 
> 
> ++
> 
> The "Will can control light" headcanon is not mine as well. It started with cherryandsisters on tumblr. Also, I'm working on making an audio version of this. If my friend who is supposed to voice Will EVER replies to my messages, I'll jump right to it. As of now, he hasn't. Expect it in a month, if you're interested.


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